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A gentleman has bought a rectangular piece of land whose perimeter is to be 100 rods.

A rifle ball is fired through a three-inch plank, the resistance of which causes an unknown constant retardation of its velocity.

'In these numbers we use no fractions': A Classroom Module on Stevin's Decimal Fractions

After completing this assignment on Simon Stevin's treatment of decimal fractions in his 1585 De Thiende, the author's preservice mathematics teachers understood why our usual procedure for multiplying such fractions works.

How Much to Buy a Horse?

Three men wish to buy a horse but none have a sufficient amount of money for the purchase; to do so, they must borrow from each other. How much money does each man have and what is the price of the horse?

Ohio Section Short Course, Study the Masters

The Ohio Section Short Course will consider the use of original sources in teaching mathematics.

Round Pond in Rectangular Garden

A round pond sits in a rectangular garden. Its center is inaccessible; however, you know the distances from each corner of the garden to the circumference of the pond: 60, 52, 28, and 40 yards. What is the radius of the pond?

Yearning for the Impossible: The Surprising Truths of Mathematics

This book explores the history of mathematics from the perspective of the creative tension between common sense and the "impossible" as the author follows the discovery or invention of new concepts that have marked mathematical progress.

Horsing Around

One military horse cannot pull a load of 40 dan; neither can 2 ordinary horses, nor can three inferior horses...

Japanese Pentagon Problem

There is a regular pentagon. The length of its side is a. Find the area of the pentagon. Generalize your result for a nonagon.

Logarithms: The Early History of a Familiar Function

The authors recount the 'great tale' of Napier's and Burgi's parallel development of logarithms and urge you to use it in class.